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Stats

Esmerlyn Valdez hitting second Tuesday vs. Phillies

Valdez_Esmerlyn (1).jpg

Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Player Stats

Esmerlyn Valdez is in right field and hitting second on Tuesday against the Phillies.

Valdez has been moved up to the prime spot in the lineup behind future franchise cornerstone Konnor Griffin as he draws his fifth start in the last six games for Pittsburgh. He’ll attempt to extend his home run streak to a remarkable fifth consecutive game on Tuesday night against Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez at hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park. The power-hitting 22-year-old rookie is going to strike out a bunch, but his over-the-fence pop is extremely real. He was the star of last year’s Arizona Fall League and simply hasn’t stoped demolishing baseballs ever since. He’s shown enough in-game pop and is playing often enough to merit a roster spot in deeper fantasy leagues.

- George Bissell

Source: MLB.com

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Skenes wins second straight start after slide

Dave Flemming, Tim Dillard, and Bob Walk reveal their top takeaways from the Pirates' impressive three-game sweep of the Brewers, capped off by a blowout win on Sunday where Paul Skenes won his second straight start.

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Related Player News

Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

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Esmerlyn Valdez went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer to power the Pirates to a 3-2 win over the Brewers in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday.

Valdez did it again, homering in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. This time, he put the Pirates on the board with a two-run blast off Shane Drohan in the fourth inning. It was his third home run of the day after mashing two in the first game and his 10th of the season in just 100 plate appearances while slashing .311/.370/.722.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Esmerlyn Valdez went 3-for-4 with two home runs and six RBI to lead the Pirates to a 7-6 win over the Brewers in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

Valdez took Milwaukee starter Brandon Sproat deep with a 421-foot blast to center field in the early stages of the contest before propelling Pittsburgh ahead with a seventh-inning grand slam off Brewers relief ace Aaron Ashby. The power-hitting 22-year-old rookie also added a run-scoring single just for good measure. It was his first career multi-homer performance and gives him nine round-trippers through just 26 games this season. He’ll continue to strike out more than fantasy managers would prefer, creating some batting average risk once his near-.400 BABIP inevitably regresses, but the power is real enough to justify the gamble.
Oneil Cruz

PIT Center Fielder #15

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that Spencer Horwitz (hamstring) and Oneil Cruz (hand fracture) are still expected back in July.

Cherington mentioned that both players “are progressing well in Florida, but both will be sidelined until after the All-Star Break.” The team hopes that they will both be back in the lineup “not too long after the break.” Cruz has been out since June 10 with non-displaced fractures in his hand. He was originally expected to miss “at least one month,” which will be in the middle of this week. He could likely begin a rehab assignment in the next couple of weeks and, assuming he can swing without pain, be back in the Pirates lineup soon after. With both Horwitz and Cruz back, the Pirates may have to be creative to find at-bats for surging Esmerlyn Valdez and Tyler Callihan.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Esmerlyn Valdez is hitting cleanup for the fourth consecutive game on Saturday against the Nationals.

Valdez has been on a tear since returning to the majors back on June 11, hitting .411 (19-for-46) with four homers and 11 RBI across 15 games. The most encouraging aspect of his recent performance is that he’s struck out just a shade over 25 percent of the time during that span. The 22-year-old projects as a streaky power hitter given his strikeout issues in the upper minors. However, he’s in a groove right now and should continue batting in the heart of Pittsburgh’s lineup. Those factors alone make him a worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Esmerlyn Valdez hit an RBI triple and went 2-for-4 with two other RBI as the Pirates beat the Phillies on Thursday.

Valdez’s single up the middle in the first got the Pirates on the board, and his triple scooted under Justin Crawford’s glove in center and pinballed around, staking the Pirates to a 2-1 lead in the fifth. He added a sacrifice fly later in the contest. His expected batting average so far is just .258 -- so his .316 average will likely come down a bit -- but the power is absolutely real and has given him some real fantasy value so far.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Esmerlyn Valdez failed to homer Tuesday but did go 2-for-3 with a walk in the shutout loss to the Phillies.

The rest of the Pirates combined for three hits and two walks against Cristopher Sánchez and company. Valdez had homered in four straight games coming into the night.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Esmerlyn Valdez went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and two walks versus the Phillies on Monday.

Valdez has homered in four straight games, including in his only at-bat as a pinch-hitter on Saturday against the Reds. Getting more playing time because of Spencer Horwitz’s injury, he’s now 13-for-45 with six homers, even though he has struck out 19 times in his young career. Because of the swing-and-miss issues, he’s probably not going to remain strong enough against righties to keep playing regularly as a 22-year-old rookie. However, this is a lot of fun right now. His homer tonight was hit 411 feet off Aaron Nola, and his other hit was a 111-mphy double versus Tim Mayza.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Esmerlyn Valdez went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, and two RBI in a win over the Reds on Sunday.

Valdez has started three of the last four games since Spencer Horwitz (hamstring) landed on the injured list and Ryan O’Hearn started playing more first base. Valdez also had a pinch-hit home run in the one game he didn’t start. In those four games, he’s gone 6-for-12 with three home runs, four RBI, and a 4/1 K/BB ratio. He’s worth an add in deeper formats if he’s going to play this often, especially if your team needs power.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Esmerlyn Valdez is starting in right field and batting sixth against the Mariners on Thursday.

With Spencer Horwitz (hamstring) sidelined, Ryan O’Hearn is likely to be the primary first baseman for the Pirates, which could open up right field at-bats for Valdez. The 22-year-old has gone just 5-for-30 in his 11 MLB games with two doubles, two home runs, and six RBI. He was hitting .255/.388/.526 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI in 56 games at Triple-A and has some intriguing power potential. He remains only an option in NL-only formats in the short-term.
Bryan Reynolds

PIT Left Fielder #10

Bryan Reynolds was a late scratch from the Pirates’ starting lineup on Friday night due to left groin discomfort.

He’s considered day-to-day. Esmerlyn Valdez replaced Reynolds in Friday’s lineup in left field and he’ll bat seventh against Rockies’ left-hander Kyle Freeland.

Rotoworld

Joey Ortiz

MIL Shortstop #3
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Joey Ortiz heads into the All-Star break hitting .300/.317/.450 in July with three RBI and a 5/1 K/BB ratio.

Even though Ortiz is not hitting the cover off of the ball, what’s notable about this is that the shortstop has narrowed his stance. According to Statcast, in July, his feet have been a little over 26 inches apart with a stance that’s three degrees open. In the first two months of the season, his stance had his feet 29 inches apart and was nine degrees open. Narrowing and closing off the stance slightly is also the change that the Brewers made with Brice Turang to help fuel his breakout, so it’s something to watch in the second half of the season.
- Eric Samulski

Source: Jake McKibbin

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Ronald Acuña Jr.

ATL Right Fielder #13
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Ronald Acuña Jr. (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League on Monday.

While their major league teammates are getting a few days off, both Acuña Jr. and Ha-Seong Kim (finger) will begin their rehab assignments. They will both likely play multiple games in the complex league this week while all affiliates are on a break, and there is a chance Acuña Jr., who has been out since June 10th, will return right after the All-Star break concludes. At worst, it seems like the 28-year-old could be back in Atlanta’s outfield by next week.
- Eric Samulski

Source: Atlanta Braves
Ha-Seong Kim
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Trevor Richards

CWS Relief Pitcher #38
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White Sox activated RHP Trevor Richards from the bereavement list.

Richards is back on the roster after four days away from the White Sox, but he’ll obviously get a few more days with his family with the All-Star break here.
- Matthew Pouliot

Transaction

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Tyler Davis

CWS Relief Pitcher
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White Sox optioned RHP Tyler Davis to Triple-A Charlotte.

Davis pitched three scoreless innings in his latest stint with the White Sox. He has a 4.10 ERA despite a 22/15 K/BB in 26 1/3 innings this season.
- Matthew Pouliot

Transaction

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Antwone Kelly

PIT Starting Pitcher #62
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Pirates optioned RHP Antwone Kelly to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Kelly, who was called up Friday, gave up three runs while pitching two innings in the rout of the Brewers on Sunday. He’s allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings in two appearances for the Pirates this year.
- Matthew Pouliot

Transaction

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Abimelec Ortiz

WSH 1st Baseman #81
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Nationals optioned Abimelec Ortiz to Triple-A Rochester.

Ortiz’s major league stint lasted just a few hours, but at least he did get to start and go 1-for-2 against the Yankees. The Nationals will add a pitcher in his place after the break.
- Matthew Pouliot

Transaction

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Ildemaro Vargas

AZ 1st Baseman #6
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Ildemaro Vargas went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI as the Diamondbacks topped the Dodgers 5-3 on Sunday.

Vargas doubled and scored in the fifth. In the sixth, he hit what should have been another double on a drive into the right field corner, but either because he thought it was a homer or that it was going foul, he didn’t run out of the box and then was thrown out at first base after a wide turn towards second. It still drove in the go-ahead run in what had been a 3-3 tie, and it gave him just his second multihit game since May 19.
- Matthew Pouliot

Recap

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Mitch Bratt

AZ Starting Pitcher #60
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Mitch Bratt gave up three runs in three innings in his emergency start Sunday against the Dodgers.

Bratt was called up after it was revealed Saturday that Zac Gallen was being scratched. He struck out none and walked three today, throwing just 29 of his 58 pitches for strikes. The Diamondbacks, though, wound up winning 5-3 anyway, as six relievers all pitched scoreless innings behind him. It’s unclear if Bratt will stick around and start the second half in the rotation or return to Triple-A.
- Matthew Pouliot

Recap

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Paul Sewald

AZ Relief Pitcher #38
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Paul Sewald recorded his 22nd save with a perfect ninth Sunday against the Dodgers.

Even with his 4.24 ERA, Sewald has saved the Diamondbacks’ bacon by going 22-for-23 in save chances this year. The team will likely be a buyer at the deadline, but it’s highly unlikely that it’ll be targeting a closer upgrade. Starting pitching, on the other hand, seems like a big need.
- Matthew Pouliot

Recap

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Emmet Sheehan

LAD Starting Pitcher #80
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Emmet Sheehan surrendered three runs — one earned — in 5 1/3 innings Sunday in a loss to the Diamondbacks.

After four scoreless frames, Sheehan was let down by his defense while giving up two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth. The Dodgers probably would have used a quicker hook with Sheehan today if not for the bullpen game Friday. As per usual, his velocity waned as the game went on; he averaged 95.6 mph with his fastball in the first but was down to 93.8 mph in the fifth and 92.8 mph in the sixth. There’s going to be a good argument for putting him in the pen once Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow return, but he should stay in the rotation for now.
- Matthew Pouliot

Recap

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